Summary
Storytelling is universal.
It has been around long before the internet and used to bridge different worlds. It can evoke strong emotions and empathy for the storyteller when done right. As the internet evolves, so does marketing and how it reaches the targeted audience.
In the past, it was about creating campaigns to sell a product, but now, marketers understand that telling a story to connect with their audience empathetically makes them more receptive to the product and brand.
As a professional, my brand is about making connections with others through past and current experiences through storytelling.
Evolution
Stories through Drawings
In the past, people used visual storytelling to communicate and educate the community using characters and symbols carved into the walls of caves (Sabah, 2023), such as Egypt and the Chauvet cave in France.
The Chauvet cave drawings of animals and themes of survival have been estimated to date back 30,000 years (Mendoza, 2015).
However, about 5,000 years ago, in ancient Egypt, their community used hieroglyphics (pictographic characters) to line tombs, provide religious documentation and convey messages for the future (Mendoza, 2015).
Pictured: Egyptian Hieroglyphics
Pictured: Athena, an ancient Greek goddess, represented wisdom, war, and handicraft. She is seen with her shield that adorns Medusa's head.
Oral Traditions and the Written Word
Throughout history, oral traditions and the written word have intermingled.
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Many storytellers have orally recounted stories passed down from generation to generation to share past events or mythology with others. A great example of an oral tradition is the Cherokee tribe's version of the world's creation (Mendoza, 2015).
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In ancient Greece, stories were shared orally and in writing. Great examples of famous printed texts include "The Odyssey" by Homer and "The Gutenberg Bible." The Gutenberg Bible was mass-printed using press equipment in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg. 180 copies of the Bible were printed around 1450. However, there are not many available today.
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Digital Storytelling in the Present
Digital Storytelling dates back to the 1970s, when Dana Atchley used multimedia elements to create shows that used emerging technologies to develop interactive history onstage (Smith, n.d.). In the 1990s, Kevin Burns televised a documentary, "The Civil War," which used multimedia elements like Atchley's shows to reach the audience through storytelling (Smith, n.d.).
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At the time, digital storytelling was thought to be used only by creatives. Still, the emergence of social media (MySpace, Facebook, LiveJournal, etc...) allows users to share their stories with others to create a connection that was impossible before the late '90s.
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Now, Digital Storytelling is used by brands to connect with their targeted audience by using stories that may resonate and move people to purchase their product. This creates trust so that the customer feels like they know the brand.
Pictured: Fun design to illustrate digital storytelling.